


Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours

by backspace_gravity



Category: Terminator (Movies), Terminator - All Media Types
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21723067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/backspace_gravity/pseuds/backspace_gravity
Summary: AU where Grace is a postal worker and she forms a crush on Dani, the woman whose mail she delivers. (one-shot)
Relationships: Grace & Dani Ramos, Grace/Dani Ramos
Comments: 30
Kudos: 203





	Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this outfit grace wears in the movie (https://abigailarcans.tumblr.com/post/189016882437)

Grace likes delivering the mail. She enjoys sending off the numerous letters and packages to their intended recipients. Something about the organization and routine of it all feels extremely satisfying to her. And although Grace is not the most sociable person, getting to talk to and meet different kinds of people has been a good experience for her.

Another thing she likes about being a mailwoman are the dogs. And in this job, she has met plenty. A good number of them have been pleasant enough and just liked greeting her, but Grace has to admit, she has had several "intense" encounters which resulted in holes and teeth marks in some of her favorite work trousers.

So far, Grace's first day on her new route has been quiet and uneventful. The residents on Reese Street were initially surprised to see Grace instead of their usual mailman, but they were friendly to her all the same. 

After stopping at her designated parking point, Grace checks her clipboard for the last house. 

_Ramos, No. 32_

Almost as soon as Grace crosses the street, a white blur seems to appear from nowhere and tackles her to the ground, excitedly licking her in the face. She hears a woman shout, "Taco, no!" but the dog ignores her, deciding to continue its slobbery assault on Grace's face, which causes her to dissolve into giggles.

"Oh Carl, I'm so, so sorry! I was going to leash Taco before you got here, but I overslept. Taco always gets so excited to see you and...wait, you are not Carl?"

With the dog, Taco, now in the woman's arms, Grace begins to take her in for the first time, and can't help but feel like she's maybe staring at the most beautiful woman she's ever seen. 

The woman is a petite brunette dressed in a silk floral robe that hugs her body in all the right places and she has brown eyes so deep and warm that Grace is almost certain she could lose herself in them forever.

It's a moment or so before Grace's brain finally recalls the concept of speech. 

"Yeah, no, I'm not Carl. My name is Grace."

"Daniella. But you can call me Dani."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Dani--"

_Woof! Woof!_

"--and Taco, too."

Upon hearing his name, Taco starts jumping up and down. The dog's excitable nature causes a grin to form on Grace's face. Her grin must be contagious or something because soon, Dani starts grinning too.

"Actually, I'm taking over Carl's old route. His dog allergies have gotten really bad over the last few months, so we swapped routes and here I am. Delivering your mail."

As if just only remembering she's here for a reason, Grace quickly rifles through her canvas satchel and takes out an envelope. "Looks like you have a letter," Grace says, handing it to Dani. "Ah, from my abuela!" The brunette grabs the letter excitedly. "She lives in Mexico and she does _not_ understand how e-mail works, so she writes me letters instead."

Grace nods; she can absolutely relate. "My Aunt Phoebe is the exact same way. She is TERRIFIED of technology. She thinks robots will one day rise against humanity or something." She reaches into her bag again and pulls out a plastic-wrapped magazine this time. "By the way, it looks like you also have an, uh, 'adult' magazine."

"Sorry, what?"

Dani glances down at the magazine, noting the big, busty blonde on its glossy cover attempting what should be an impossible pose on a chair; Dani's face immediately colors with embarrassment and she clears her throat awkwardly.

"Oh. This is actually, it's actually, um, my brother's."

Grace smiles, nodding her head slightly. "Sure. I wouldn't judge either way, so. I mean, I just deliver the mail. I don't really care what's in it as long as it's not a threat to national security." 

"Right, good to know. Even though this," Dani gestures to the same busty blonde on the cover, "is totally not mine, that is still good to know."

"And anyway, if I wanted to see a beautiful woman naked, I would not need a porn magazine." Dani adds almost matter-of-factly.

Grace's eyebrows shoot up a little at Dani's implication. Giving the smaller woman a (hopefully) subtle once-over, Grace can only agree. "Yeah, you're probably right about that." Realizing the possible inappropriateness of that comment, Grace decides she should probably leave before she says anything worse. "Um, all this mail won't deliver itself, sooo I better get going."

With that, Grace smooths down her messy, short blonde hair before putting her cap on. "I'll see you around, Dani. Enjoy your magazine!"

Dani laughs a little. "Again, it is NOT my magazine but okay! See you, Grace!"

Grace gives one last wave to Taco and starts walking back to her van, all the while thinking about those gorgeous brown eyes.

Yes, Grace definitely likes delivering the mail.

-

The following week, Grace bumps into Dani, who happens to be out walking Taco around the neighborhood. Seeing as Dani is heading the same way, the two decide to stroll along Reese Street; Grace then starts talking so she can get to know the other woman better. She settles on the topic of dogs since it's the one thing she already knows they have in common.

"How long have you had Taco for?"

"Hmm, maybe 5 or 6 years? Me and my brother, Diego, used to volunteer at the local animal shelter and when Taco was brought in after a hit-and-run, we helped him recover.

Grace's heart practically melts as she pictures a teenage Dani nursing the wounded Taco back to health.

"During that time, we fell in love with Taco's tenacity and he is really such a happy, lovely dog that we couldn't NOT adopt him. And the rest is, as you say, history. Isn't that right, Taquito?"

Taco barks in response, almost as if he understands her.

"That's amazing, Dani. I think if I ever got a dog, I'd adopt too. There are so many dogs still waiting on good homes and I'd love to share mine with one someday."

"Wait...you don't have a dog of your own?"

"Me? Sadly, no."

"But you clearly love them!"

"Well, my job takes up a _lot_ of my time and I live alone…so, I don't think I could fit a dog in my life right now," Grace says as she lightly scratches under Taco's chin, the dog happily swishing his tail side to side. 

Dani nods her head in understanding.

After Grace delivers the mail to several houses, Dani speaks up again.

"So…you live alone? No boyfriend?"

Grace snorts at the question.

"No. No boyfriend."

"Oh. Girlfriend?"

The blonde laughs this time.

"No, Dani. I'm actually not seeing anyone right now," she answers, looking into Dani's eyes as she says it. Grace swears she can see a flash of relief on Dani's face and she wonders what Dani will say next now that Grace's singledom has been firmly established.

"That's good to know," Dani says with a smile.

Grace teases, "Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"It's just good information for, ahem, certain people to know."

Dani leaves it at that and the two of them continue walking from house to house in comfortable silence, Taco trotting along obediently.

-

On the Friday of the third week when Grace arrives at the Ramos house with their mail, she finds Dani attempting (read: failing) to mow the lawn. The small brunette is loudly cursing in Spanish at the lawnmower.

"Whoa, Dani. What did that lawnmower ever do to you?"

"This fucking _thing_ ," Dani punctuates with a hard kick to the lawnmower, "won't start no matter how many times I pull the cord, and trust me, I have pulled it a LOT."

"Okay, well, kicking it definitely isn't going to magically get it to start so let me see what I can do."

Dani looks like she wants to retort at Grace's remark but decides to spare the sass and merely nods her head.

When Grace unbuttons her shirt leaving her in a white tank top, Dani quips, "Is that really necessary?"

"Don't wanna get oil or grass stains on my uniform," Grace explains, which is true for the most part, except…maybe she wants to show off to Dani a little bit. It appears to do the trick as the blonde can feel Dani's eyes slowly scanning her muscular bare arms as she inspects the lawnmower.

A few minutes and several theories later, Grace eventually deduces that there were grass clippings stuck in the lawnmower's blades. Once the blades are cleaned, the cord pulls easily, and the motor comes alive.

Dani gasps in disbelief. "Oh my god, you really did it!"

"Guess all those summers I spent mowing lawns for pocket money has saved your ass today, huh?" Grace smirks.

"They most certainly have, and my ass," Dani winks and does a little booty shake, "thanks you."

Grace breaks into a wide grin. "You're ridiculous."

"Pfft. Ridiculous-ly adorable, you mean."

The blonde rolls her eyes but has a smile on her face the entire time.

"You know, Grace, since you have _so_ much experience with lawnmowing, would you like to help me with mine?" Dani grins mischievously.

Grace jokes that if she didn't have mail to deliver, she might. But a part of her knows she probably would if Dani really asked her.

-

By the fourth week, Grace starts getting used to her frequent meetings with Dani and eventually, their conversations become the thing she looks most forward to when she delivers the mail. Sure, she talks to the other Reese Street folks from time to time but being around Dani feels different.

It’s better.

In fact, most of the residents strike up a conversation with her for politeness' sake, which is fine, but when Dani does it…it’s as if she genuinely enjoys Grace's company.

Or at least Grace hopes she does anyway.

She loses herself in thought as she drives down Reese Street until she sees something that immediately snaps her out of it.

The sight of Dani with her hair in a bun and wearing only a black sports bra and tights while doing yoga poses on the lawn is so utterly distracting that Grace fails to notice her grip on the wheel slackening.

The van slowly veers off-course, heading in the direction of a tree on the sidewalk; luckily, Grace comes back to her senses just in time to hit the brakes, her van stopping to a halt mere inches from the tree.

Grace breathes heavily. She can't believe she'd almost crashed because she couldn't keep her thirst for one woman in check. God, she really _was_ a useless lesbian.

_Tap! Tap! Tap!_

"Grace! Grace, are you alright?" Dani peers into the window on Grace's side, her face etched with concern.

Grace steps out of the van to show Dani she's fine.

"What the hell happened?"

Grace stammers, trying to come up with something, anything, to explain herself. "I, um, well, you see…uh, there was a-a cat."

Dani looks confused. "A cat? I didn't see any cat."

Grace fumbles. "Well, there, there was. A cat, I mean. I-it moved so fast. Like really fast. Probably why I didn't see it and you didn't too." She decides to quickly change the subject. Gesturing to Dani's outfit, she says, "So…early morning yoga, huh?"

"Yeahhh. Normally I just do it in the house but…I thought fresh air and sunlight would be a nice change for once."

_Right, and at the expense of my sanity._

"What?"

Grace blinked rapidly. Did she actually say that out loud? "What what?"

"Did you say something? Cause I'm pretty sure I heard something." Dani narrows her eyes at Grace.

Damn, this woman knows how to make Grace all kinds of nervous to the point she can't even speak properly. "Oh, I-I said it's cool that you're doing outdoor yoga." Grace gives a resolute nod. "Yeah. I think it suits you."

Dani smiles so brilliantly it makes Grace weak in the knees. "I suppose I should do it more often then."

Grace wonders if she should invest in one of those things horses wear so they're always looking forward, because God help her if she's at the wheel again the next time Dani does yoga on the lawn.

-

For the first time in five weeks, Grace thinks she might not bump into Dani. She looks around for the woman as she nears the Ramos house, but Dani is nowhere to be seen, and her car isn't in the driveway either.

A part of Grace wants to maybe wait for a bit and see if Dani might come home then, but she scolds herself once she realizes what she had been considering. She has a job to do, and an important one at that. The residents of the other streets need their mail and here she is thinking of making herself late over a silly crush.

Staring sadly at the "Girlplay" magazine in her hand, Grace sighs, and pushes it through the slot in the door. It's usually the most satisfying part of her job, the physical sending off of the mail, but today it just doesn't feel the same.

All of a sudden, Grace hears two almost-cheerful sounding honks come from behind her and turns around to see Dani driving up to the house. The brunette rolls her window down and pops her head out. "Hey, Grace! Good morning!”

Grace laughs. “Morning to you too, Dani. Where did you go anyway?” She looks down at her watch. “It’s like 10.30 am right now.”

Dani exits the car with two large, brown paper bags in both hands. “Grocery shopping! Mornings are seriously the best time to go. The lines are practically non-existent.”

“Oh, I have a few more bags in the back. Could you…” she trails off, already walking toward the front door.

A few moments later, Grace enters the house with the remaining grocery bags in her arms. She is so fucking whipped for this woman, it's unbelievable.

Grace slowly takes in her surroundings. It's a strange feeling, actually being inside the living space of someone who is essentially her customer. But it's also nice to see how Dani lives and to learn more about her from her home.

On the wall are framed pictures of Dani with two men, one slightly younger than Dani and a much older man; Grace guesses these must be her brother and father. But one picture catches Grace's eye the most. Dani must have been about 4 years old. She is on a beach, building a sandcastle, and a beautiful woman in a flowing white dress with familiar eyes is smiling fondly at her.

"Grace?"

The blonde turns to Dani. "Oh, hey. I was just admiring your photos."

Dani must be a mind-reader or something because she follows up with, "If you're wondering, yes, that is my mother."

Grace looks at the picture again. "She's beautiful."

Dani takes the picture down and brings it to Grace for a closer look. "That was my first and last holiday with her. I spent the entire day trying to build one sandcastle because the waves kept knocking it over."

She smiles warmly as she reminisces. "My mother tried to get me to do other things at the beach since it wasn't often that she could get the day off to take me anywhere. But no matter what she offered, be it a picnic with my favorite food or a swim in the warm seawater, I just could _not_ be swayed."

"That sounds like you, alright."

Grace receives a playful jab to her ribs.

"Looking back at it, I do have some wonderful memories of that day but…" Dani sighs. "I wish I had spent more time with her, you know? I had no idea she was sick then, but still; I regret wasting so much time on some silly little sandcastle when I could have been with her."

A few tears roll down Dani's cheek. Grace doesn't know what one should say in a moment like this. So, she does the only thing she can. She extends her free hand toward Dani's face and wipes away her tears.

"Thank you." Dani says it so softly that Grace nearly doesn't catch it.

"You're welcome." Grace gives a small smile. Hoping to lighten the mood, she asks, "So where should I put these bags? Because as toned as my arms are, they are getting just a _little_ tired." Dani sniffle-laughs before leading Grace toward her kitchen.

-

It’s sometime during the sixth week when Grace has her first sex dream about Dani. Grace’s subconscious must have picked up tips from one too many low-budget pornos because it's exactly how her dream goes.

It starts off with Dani apparently not being able to pay for a package delivered by Grace which of course segues to Dani offering to pay Grace in “other ways” before finally escalating to them fucking against Dani’s kitchen counter. Grace's hand is almost completely down Dani's shorts and she's inching ever closer to Dani's heat when her alarm goes off. Loudly.

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Grace groans in frustration.

_Really, alarm?_

How is she being cockblocked by a fucking machine?! Waking up cranky and horny is one of the worst feelings anyone can experience. The irritation Grace feels lingers for the rest of the morning, from the time she starts sorting the day's mail up until the time she's nearly finished delivering to all the houses on Reese Street.

Many thoughts run through Grace's mind on the drive to Dani's. Thoughts such as _"Do Dani and I have an actual connection or am I just viewing our interactions through gay-coded lenses?"_ and _"Have we been flirting over the past month and a half or have I grossly misinterpreted Dani's friendliness?"_ as well as a special feature by _"If she does like me, why hasn't she asked me out yet??"_

She's so consumed by her thoughts that she makes it all the way to Dani's front door without at all realizing that Dani has been calling out to her from the garden. It's only after Grace drops the mail through the slot and starts walking back that she finally hears "Grace!" and sees Dani waving to her from beside a flower bed.

As Dani walks toward her, Grace takes in the sight of the brunette. Dani's hair is in a French braid and she has on faded denim overalls over an old white T-shirt, paired with the cutest yellow gardening boots. There's something about seeing a slightly sweaty Dani, with cheeks red from the sun, that has Grace fighting the most intense urge to kiss her.

“I called you earlier, but you were, like, in a world of your own. Are you okay, Grace?” Dani asks with so much care in her voice that Grace almost confesses her feelings right there and then.

“Not really? I’ve just been thinking a lot,” Grace provides simply, instead of the truth.

“What about? You can talk to me about it, if you like. I’ve been told I’m a _fantastic_ listener.” Dani grins cheekily.

Grace sighs. “It’s complicated.”

Dani frowns. “Sorry to hear that.” Suddenly, the brunette’s eyes light up as if an idea has struck her. “Hold on, I have something that I think can cheer you up.” She grabs Grace’s hands and pulls her toward the garden.

Grace starts to object, “Dani, I really shouldn’t…I have other neighborhoods to get to and my schedule is pretty tight as it is.”

“Come onnnn, it will only take a minute,” the other woman insists, pouting slightly. Grace looks down at their joined hands and then at Dani’s adorable pout. How could she say no to a face like that?

“Fine,” Grace acquiesces. “But this better be worth it.”

Dani grins widely. “It will be. Come. You’ll see.”

She tugs on Grace’s hands and leads the blonde to a freshly watered flower bed. Then she bends down to pluck a fire-red lily from the row of flowers. She gives it a little shake so it isn't as wet and holds it up for Grace to see.

"This is the Lilium philadelphicum. More commonly known as the wood lily. It took me and my father several months to grow them and this is their very first bloom."

Dani surprises Grace when she takes the flower and tucks it behind Grace's ear (which she has to _really_ tiptoe to reach). Her hand lightly brushes Grace's blonde locks as she does so. "There. Beautiful," Dani whispers.

The softness of the gesture and the nearness of Dani's face to her becomes too much to handle all at once. "Dani, please stop." Grace knows she must sound pathetic. Like she's begging. And in a way she is, because her feelings toward this woman have been filling a metaphorical cup since the day they met and now, it's finally spilling over.

"Stop what?" Dani asks innocently.

Grace releases a frustrated sigh and picks the flower out of her hair. "This!" And here it comes. A wave of words that can't be held back any longer. "I can't be around you like this anymore, Dani. Seeing you every week and talking to you and all these things you do to me, it's just too much."

Dani's brows furrow. "What? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I have a job and it's ****fucking**** hard to do it when we're like this," Grace finishes, a little more harshly than she means to. She thrusts the flower into Dani's palm and then walks away from Dani as quickly as she can. With every step she takes, Grace knows she's probably walking away from their friendship too.

-

Not long after the incident with Dani, Grace falls sick. At first, she's just really tired, which she attributes to her early mornings on the job. Then she begins feeling unusually cold even though she's outside delivering the mail on a hot, sunny day. And it's on the morning of her usual delivery day to Dani's that she starts burning up, fast.

As it turns out, Grace has developed a fever.

She becomes exhausted from doing practically nothing, which makes even the simplest task of sorting mail seem like a half-marathon. Carl, an experienced mailman and basically Grace's mentor, sees Grace struggling at work and insists she go home to rest.

"But I have…I have…a lot to deliver today. It's my duty. Folks…folks need to get their mail," Grace says in between labored breaths.

"You look like you are one envelope away from passing out in the workroom, and that is ****not**** happening on my watch." Carl says in his thick German accent. He places a large meaty hand on her shoulder. "Go. Home."

Grace finally agrees to leave once Carl promises to cover the Reese Street route on her behalf. She stops by a small pharmacy on the way home for some pills that she hopes will make her feel less like she's dying.

Having taken her medication, Grace finds that the only thing she has enough energy left for is lounging on the couch and watching TV. She puts on The Great British Bake Off (what? it relaxes her) and covers herself with a wool blanket to stop from shivering.

She tries to distract herself from thinking about Dani and what it means for them when they see each other next, but no matter how many episodes she watches and how many cakes fail disastrously, Dani is the only thing on her mind.

Maybe it's a good thing then that she's sick. It's like Grace's body _knows_ she isn't ready to see Dani right now, so it went ahead and gave her a fever. Self-sabotage at its finest.

She wonders if her and Dani can ever go back to being friends. Her feelings for Dani means everything hurts now, but maybe when Grace has had enough space and enough time has passed, maybe then they could be friends again? 

Although in this moment, when Grace feels like utter shit thanks to the fever, she wishes Dani was here. "Well, if you hadn't pushed her away, she would be," Grace mutters to herself miserably.

Suddenly, there are two hard knocks on her door. Grace quickly checks her phone. No messages or missed calls or any indication that anyone she knows might be dropping by. Huh. Weird.

Two more knocks follow, this time a little quicker in succession, as if the person is growing impatient.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming! Give me a minute!" Grace yells as she slowly drags herself (why is her body _so_ heavy?) all the way to the door of her apartment.

For a split second, Grace wonders if the universe has granted her wish and brought Dani to her doorstep. Hands trembling slightly, she opens the door…

And it's Carl.

She wants to kick herself for ever thinking it could be Dani. She was a jerk, so why would Dani show up to her apartment for no reason? Dumbass.

Grace opens her mouth to ask Carl what he's doing here but before she can say a thing, Carl wordlessly pushes past her and enters the small apartment. She sighs and closes the door, following him.

"Carl, what the hell?"

He continues walking until he's in her tiny kitchen and that's when Grace notices the plastic container in his hands. "What's that?" she asks, curious now.

Still silent, Carl opens several cabinets until he finds a small pot. He empties the contents of the plastic container into the pot and turns on the stove. His job seemingly complete, Carl heads for the door again but Grace leans against it, arms crossed. "No, Carl. You can't just come into my apartment and leave without explaining why you're here!"

"Look, I'm sorry to barge in on such short notice…"

"No notice, you mean."

Carl gives her a pointed look. "Yes. Well, I am here because _someone_ was worried about you when you didn't show up for work today."

Grace gulps. Her heartbeat quickens. "Dani?"

He nods. "Yes. I told her you were sick when I delivered her mail and you know what she did? This ****lovely**** woman came over to the post office and made me ****promise**** to give you her chicken soup. Which she cooked." "Oh." Grace blinks. "For YOU." Carl adds, his index finger poking Grace's chest.

Fishing through his leather jacket, Carl takes out a letter and holds it out to Grace. "She also wanted me to give you this." It's slightly crumpled from being shoved into Carl's jacket; on the front, it says " _To Grace_ " in neat handwriting.

She feels somewhat embarrassed now. "Um, thanks, Carl. For coming over. Sorry I raised my voice at you."

He shrugs. "I have had people do worse to me. So, you're good. But if you don't get your head out of your ass and fix things with Dani, you won't be." Carl warns Grace before walking out the door, leaving her once again alone in her apartment.

-

_Dear Grace,_

_I hope this letter finds you well. Carl told me you're sick, hence, the soup. It's a sopa de pollo I made based on my abuela's recipe. And don't worry, it is not very spicy. I hope you like it._

_But that's not what I really want to say. I am writing to you because I want to apologize, Grace. I'm sorry for letting my feelings for you get in the way of doing your job. I thought I was hiding them and that I_ _wasn't obvious_ _, but clearly, you knew. So, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable._

_I think I mistook your friendliness and kindness as flirting, so I did the same. Which is not an excuse, obviously. I'm genuinely sorry for what happened between us last week. I promise, I won't_ _bother_ _you at work again. In the meantime, feel better soon. Take care, Grace._

_Dani_

_P.S. If you don't like the soup, I told Carl he could have it._

It's been nearly a week since receiving Dani's letter and Grace has reread it more times than anything she's ever read in her whole life. Dani's words are still a goddamn revelation to her every single time.

She can't believe it. Here Grace was, thinking her feelings were unrequited, when this _entire_ time, Dani liked her too!

_Ugh. Past tense is right. How can Dani still like me after all I've said and done?_

And now, thanks to Grace's smart mouth, Dani thinks it's her fault when really, Grace is totally the asshole in this scenario.

If her fever hadn't taken literal days to break, Grace would have gone over to see Dani as soon as she read the last word of Dani's letter. But it does, unfortunately, so Grace has little choice but to stay home and recover. Resting at home doesn't stop her from going through what to say to Dani in her head repeatedly. She has to pick the right words because she's already said so many wrong ones and said them in a pretty terrible way too.

So, Grace is determined to make it right.

Before she knows it, delivery day is here. With her van stocked and her satchel filled, Grace leaves for Dani's house, slightly nervous but mostly excited. Carl seems to have some amount of faith in her because he gives her two thumbs up when she drives past him on the way out.

Driving up to the house, Grace makes sure to check for the presence of Dani's car in the driveway. And…yep, it's there, alright.

Grace stands outside the door, trying to recall all the things she means to say and damn it, she should have written it down or something. Her palms start to feel clammy, just a little. Grace eventually steels herself and knocks on the wooden door.

After what feels like forever, Grace finally hears footsteps from inside the house and then the door swings open, revealing not Dani but a young dark-haired man instead. At first, Grace's brain hastily jumps to conclusions and she thinks this could be Dani's lover but then, she realizes who she’s looking at.

"Diego, right?"

The good-looking man flashes a boyish grin. "Yes, that's me." His eyes light up in recognition then too. "Wait a minute, are you the same Grace who delivers our mail?"

Grace's cheeks turn a little red. "Dani must have told you about me, huh?" She says somewhat guiltily.

Diego runs a hand through his dark, brown hair and sighs. " _S_ _í_ , _sí_. You really hurt her, Grace. I probably shouldn't even be talking to you right now, but you seem like you've come here for more than just mail?" he asks hopefully.

"Yes, I've come to apologize and to hopefully explain myself." Grace says determinedly. "So, can I please speak to Dani?"

Diego chuckles. "Man, you lesbians have the worst timing." He grabs keys from a bowl and steps outside the house, closing the door behind him. "Dani isn't here right now." Diego admits. He shares with Grace that Taco has been missing since yesterday and this morning, Dani borrowed his motorcycle to search for the dog.

He checks his phone and says, "I'm actually supposed to be leaving now. We each have a few places to look where we think Taco will most probably be, so I should get going." Grace suddenly grabs him by the shoulder. "Diego, wait. Let me help. I can help you guys search for Taco. And believe me, I'm _really_ good with dogs. I mean, I kind of have to be in this line of work."

Diego considers this for a moment. "Hmm. I guess someone should stay here in case Taquito comes back to the house." Finally, he is agreeable to the idea, and hands Grace the keys to Dani's car. "Give me your number and I will text you the places to look and if you find him or if he comes back here, we can let each other know."

Grace nods in agreement. "Oh, and one more thing." Diego points up to the dark sky. "Taco has a fear of really loud noises and the news said a thunderstorm is coming, so please, find him soon," he urges.

Her gaze hardens. "Don't worry, Diego. I'm going to do everything I can to find Taco and bring him back." She knows just how much the dog means to both Dani and her brother. It's the least she can do for Dani after everything that happened.

Once Grace is in the car, she immediately calls Carl who thankfully, picks up after just two rings. "Carl, hey. I'm so sorry to ask you this but I need you to do me a huge, huge favor." He grunts to let her know he's listening.

She explains the Taco situation and when she reaches the part where she volunteered to join the dog search party, Carl speaks. "Okay, I see where this is going. You need me to cover for you again while you go hunt for this dog, am I right?" "Not a hunt, but that's pretty much right, yes, I would need you to cover my route for the rest of the day." Carl quiets for a few seconds then says, "Alright. Fine. I will help you ****again**** , even though you didn't save me some of Dani's soup the other day. But don't forget, you owe me, Grace. You owe me ****big time****." Grace thanks him profusely before hanging up and driving off wildly like a woman on a mission.

According to Diego's text, Grace needs to search at the local animal shelter (which they adopted Taco from), Sarah Connor's home (Taco apparently likes visiting her), and an Italian restaurant called Il Distruttore (the head chef always gives Taco free meatballs whenever the dog is there).

After making two stops, there's still no sign of Taco. The only good news is that both the shelter manager, Karen, and Sarah Connor have said that they would keep on the lookout for Taco and call her, Diego, or Dani if they spot him. She really hopes the Italian restaurant fares better because she can already hear some thunder in the distance and see that the clouds are darkening.

Grace arrives at Il Distruttore and is disappointed to find the restaurant closed. Damn. Still, she gets out of the car and walks around, trying to see if by some chance, Taco is here or has been. She's close to giving up when her ears pick up tiny whimpers coming from one of the garbage cans behind the restaurant. Grace approaches the garbage can slowly and then ever so carefully lifts the lid.

_Awoo awoooo…_

"Heyyy, Taco…" Grace says in a soothing tone, trying not to scare the small dog. She inches her hands forward in an attempt to lift him out of the garbage can but Taco reacts poorly and paws at Grace's arms instead. "Fuck!" She doesn't mean to shout but the scratches really do hurt. Unfortunately, this causes Taco to retreat even further into the garbage can.

"Come on, Taco. I know you're scared but I have to get you out of here before the storm." The dog stays still, his big eyes just looking up at Grace. She sighs. _"Well, this clearly isn't working, so bribery it is then."_

It's a good thing Grace always has spare dog treats in her left pocket (she sometimes gives some to the dogs she meets on the job) as she now tries to bribe Taco with them. Taco comes forward slightly to sniff Grace's palm and the treat on it. Apparently satisfied with its smell, the dog gobbles up the little bone-shaped biscuit. He gives a small bark as if asking for more.

Dangling the bag of treats in her hand, Grace says, "I'll give you ALL the treats, IF you come out." Taco seems to catch on really fast because he immediately jumps into Grace's arms, making her drop the plastic bag. "Whoa boy!" He gives her face a few eager licks. "Good boy, Taco. Come on, I'll take you back to Dani." He barks cheerfully.

Suddenly, Grace feels drops of water on her face. "Shit." She picks up the pace, hoping to outrun the rain but it's like the skies are against her and her uniform ends up drenched by the time she enters Dani's car. Thankfully, her tall frame provides enough cover for Taco and his fur is only slightly damp.

Grace hastily types out a text to Diego.

_-Found him. On the way back now._

The rain gets progressively heavier as Grace drives to Dani’s place, the wind blowing so harshly she can hear it even from inside the car. Every so often, lightning flashes across the gray skies and loud thunderclaps can be heard, which causes Taco to bark and whine. Grace tries to distract him with more treats, which proves effective, but she knows Taco would probably do better with Dani. “We’re almost there, Taco,” she reassures the small dog.

She feels a huge sense of relief when the familiar house comes into view. With the car parked in the driveway, Grace wraps Taco in an old T-shirt that was in the backseat and faces the rain head on.

The strong winds howl violently, shaking the trees that line the street. The thunderstorm makes raindrops feel like bullets as they land on her head and back. She holds the bundled Taco close to her chest and walks briskly.

Then, Grace hears the most beautiful sound in the world. “Grace!” Dani yells out, running toward them with an umbrella.

The gusts of wind are so fierce that the umbrella is at risk of blowing right out of Dani’s hands, but Grace meets Dani in the middle, placing a hand on Dani’s to steady her grip. “Hey, I got you. I got you.”

Grace and Dani share a meaningful look between them, but with the rain falling even harder, they know whatever they want to say to each other needs to wait until they're inside the house.

Diego is anxiously waiting for them as soon as they step into the hallway. “Taquito! Buddy! You’re okay!” Taco squirms in Grace’s arms, excited to see his family again. Diego takes the dog from her. “I’ll take this little guy upstairs and get him warm and dry.” As he walks way, he mouths a “Thank you” to Grace who responds with a small nod.

With Diego and Taco gone, there's an awkward silence between Grace and Dani. The only other sound in the hallway is the sound of water dripping from Grace's soaking wet uniform. And despite the fact that she's imagined this scenario countless times in her bedroom, her mind goes blank when Dani is standing right in front of her.

"Dani, I just want to say-"

"I'm sorry."

"Wait, you what? No, _I'm_ the one who's sorry."

Dani looks taken aback. "You? What do you have to be sorry for, Grace? I'm the one who made a mistake and you ****still**** came to help me find my dog!"

"God, Dani, you did nothing wrong! It was all me. _I_ fucked everything up." Grace says, her head hanging in shame.

"The truth is I've liked you from the very first moment I met you and every moment since has only amplified how I feel about you. Every week, I was ridiculously happy to bump into you and the more we talked, the more I started to think maybe you liked me too."

Dani caresses Grace's face gently. "Oh, Grace."

She soaks in Dani's touch and how much it comforts her. Then she continues, "But after a while, you _still_ hadn't made a move and normally, I would, but I was doing my job and it…it wouldn't have been right. Which _killed_ me because you were still being your lovely, friendly, intimate self and I couldn't deal with it. Eventually, it was too much to be around you and not be _with_ you."

"I didn't kn-"

Grace shakes her head. "No, of course, I know you didn't know. But that day, when I snapped at you, it was kind of like a breaking point for me. And it felt like, for my own sanity, I had to get away from you." Reliving that moment still hurts for Grace. "I should never have raised my voice at you. I reacted horribly. I was a jerk and because I couldn't handle my own goddamn feelings, I took it out on you. For that, I am sorry, Dani."

She scans Dani's face, searching for any signs of what the other woman might be thinking or feeling now that Grace has gotten everything off her chest. At first, Dani is expressionless, but slowly, Grace notices a smile forming on her face and soon enough, a giggle escapes from Dani's mouth. She tries to stifle her giggles and covers her mouth with her right hand, but it doesn't seem to be working. "What's so funny?" Grace asks, confused but starting to laugh along too for no other reason than that Dani's laughter is incredibly infectious.

"I'm not, I'm not-" Dani laughs again. "Sorry, I swear I'm not laughing at you, Grace. I'm-I'm laughing at US." She wipes away a single tear. "I mean, l have liked you for a long time too but I never acted upon it because you were working and I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Now here you are, telling me, that you were doing the exact same thing! So, forgive me, but that is _pretty_ funny."

"You like me, huh?" Grace smirks.

"Wha-yes, Grace, you obviously read my letter so you know I do." Dani asserts, looking absolutely adorable now with one hand on her hip.

Grace gives a lopsided grin. "Yeah, you're right. But I just like hearing you say it."

Dani lets out a mock gasp and playfully shoves Grace. She relents, though. "Okay, fine. I like you. A LOT. I like your hair and how much it makes me want to run my fingers through it. I like your arms and how they're so toned I can see the muscles through your shirt." Grace laughs at that last part. Dani continues, "But…I also like how you are always trying to help people, especially when it's me. And I like that you don't judge me for reading shitty porn magazines. Even though they're not mine. Is that good enough for you?"

Grace takes a few steps forward, entering Dani's space. "More than. Now, can I kiss you?"

Without saying a word, Dani pulls Grace by her shirt collar and into a searing kiss. Grace kisses back fervently, one hand cupping Dani's face and the other at the base of Dani's neck. Grace captures Dani's lips over and over again, savoring the way they feel sliding along hers. As Dani's hands move from Grace's shoulders and trail down her arms, Dani suddenly breaks their kiss.

"Grace, you're freezing!"

The blonde, still in a daze from Dani's kisses, takes a moment to register what she's referring to. Oh. Right. The rain. But Grace, having only one thing on her mind, tries to lean in and kiss Dani again, muttering, "It's fine. I'm fine."

Dani rubs Grace's arms as if attempting to provide them with as much warmth as possible. "You're going to fall sick if you stay in these wet clothes." Dani says, the worry evident in her voice. "Is this your way of getting me naked? Because if it is, it's _totally_ working." Grace teases but following along anyway when Dani tugs her by the wrist.

Dani leads Grace to the laundry room and points to the dryer against the wall. "I don't want you getting _another_ fever so take off your clothes and put them in there." Dani says, in a commanding tone. "Yes, sir." Grace says, licking her lips. Unsurprisingly, Dani telling her what to do definitely makes her feel things.

Grace notices the way Dani's eyes roam all over her body as she undoes her shirt at an agonizingly slow pace, one button at a time. Now that their feelings are all out in the open, Dani does not hesitate to bite her lip at the sight of Grace unbuckling her belt and removing her pants, finally standing in only a white tank top and black boxer briefs.

After throwing the clothes in the dryer and starting it up, Dani turns toward Grace. "So, we have about…" Dani glances at the control panel on the dryer. "…7 minutes to kill." She looks up at Grace, her eyes reflecting desire. "What should we do while we wait?" Dani asks softly. Grace moves closer to Dani, slowly pushing her backwards until she's up against the dryer. Grace bends her head down until she's inches from Dani's face. Her voice lowers an octave. "I have an idea. Do you trust me?" Dani responds with a little nod.

Grace places her hands on Dani's waist and easily lifts her up. Dani's arms immediately wrap around Grace's neck, clinging to the blonde until she sets her down on the dryer. With Dani on this new surface, it practically eliminates their height difference, making it easier for Grace to go in for the kiss. They start out softly at first, just lips brushing lips, but Grace deepens their kiss when Dani combs her fingers through Grace's short locks. The sensation of Dani lightly pulling on Grace's hair almost drives her up the wall with how fucking good it feels.

With Grace's mouth slightly open, Dani uses this moment to gently sweep the tip of her tongue over Grace's lower lip. Wanting more, Grace parts her lips which allows Dani to slowly slide her tongue into Grace's mouth. Tasting Dani on her tongue is pretty hard to describe. There's a hint of toothpaste, coffee, and something else Grace can only assume is simply Dani. Grace thinks she could get addicted to it.

As their kisses grow in intensity, Grace, whose hands are at first splayed across Dani's back, starts moving them downwards until she reaches Dani's hips. Grace's hands grip and grasp, trying to hold onto Dani as she loses herself in the feeling of their tongues against one another. Dani moans right into Grace's mouth, which instinctively drives Grace's hands lower, quickly seeking out the button on Dani's jeans. But before they can go any further, a loud squeal interrupts them.

"Oh. My. God."

Grace and Dani instantly pull apart. Dani hops off the dryer looking somewhat embarrassed while Grace attempts to hide behind Dani on account of semi-nakedness.

Diego stands by the doorway, wearing a shocked expression.

"I leave you two alone for just twenty minutes and THIS is what happens? Damn, sis…" There's pride in his voice. "Diegooo…" Dani groans, her hands covering her face. He grins at his big sister's obvious discomfort and walks around the two of them to get to the washing machine. "Don't worry, I'm only dropping these dirty towels. I'll be out of your hair soon," he says, directing a little wink at Grace and Dani.

True to his word, he only takes about five minutes to place the towels for washing and get fresh ones. With a fluffy, white towel propped under each arm, Diego prepares to leave, but not before telling Dani, "Sis, don't let Grace leave without asking her out on a date, okay?" "Ohmygod." Dani hurriedly shoves Diego out of the room while Grace tries to contain her laughter.

As soon as Diego is out of earshot, Grace speaks. "He's right, you know." Dani quirks an eyebrow. "Getting to kiss you today has been Amazing." Grace brushes a stray curl of hair from Dani's face before continuing. "But getting a date with you would be even better," Grace says, planting a chaste kiss on Dani's lips. She knows it’s not professional for her to ask out a customer, so she leaves the choice up to Dani.

Dani smiles softly. "Grace, I-" But before Dani can finish that sentence, the dryer makes beeping noises, signaling the end of the drying cycle. Grace gestures to the machine. "I should get that."

Grace is happy to see her work uniform completely dry and practically wrinkle-free. She starts putting her pants back on and is halfway done buttoning up her shirt when Dani suddenly blurts out, “How do you feel about Korean food?” The corners of Grace’s mouth lift ever so slightly. “I’ve been known to enjoy it from time to time.” “Well, um, I know a really good Korean place. We could go there one of these days.” Dani mentions in a faux casual manner. Appreciating Dani’s effort, Grace decides to just cut to the chase. “How about 7 pm this Saturday? You could make the reservations and I’ll pick you up?” Dani’s face lights up instantly. “Yes, I can definitely do that.”

Dani escorts Grace to the front door and leans on tiptoe to press a soft kiss to Grace’s cheek. “Really, Dani? The cheek?” “If you’re expecting more, too bad. You’ll just have to wait until Saturday,” Dani replies, smiling mischievously. Grace groans. “Ugh. You’re unbelievable.” “Unbelievably adorable,” Dani teases, making Grace laugh.

After exchanging goodbyes and exchanging their phone numbers (finally), Grace walks back to her van with an obvious spring in her step (well, it’s not so much a spring as it is a less stiff version of her usual walk). She could never have imagined her job would lead her to a woman as wonderful as Dani, whom she now has a DATE with, but she gives a silent thanks to it anyway.

Although being a mailwoman has its fair share of challenges (aggressive dogs, having to go out in every possible weather situation, asshole customers, etc.) and Grace has her list of reasons why she enjoys what she does, Dani has pretty much rocketed to the top of that list. And so, Grace drives back to the post office with two thoughts running through her mind: She really likes delivering the mail, but she probably ( _definitely_ ) likes Dani Ramos more.

**Author's Note:**

> i don't know if this weird idea will appeal to anyone but if you've read the whole thing and do not think it sucks, then thanks! no pressure to leave a kudos or a comment, just go with what you're comfortable doing. 
> 
> song title from the stevie wonder song (which surprisingly fits the fic pretty well?? actually didn't expect that): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgT9QJ2htMc


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